MLS Team of the Week: Duos from New York Red Bulls, Columbus, Vancouver Feature
Week 23 in Major League Soccer may not have matched the high-scoring output of its immediate predecessor, but it did deliver a good amount of impressive performances at each position on the field.
Despite the drop in goal production across the league compared to the previous week, a pair of high-quality forwards were able to hit the back of the net on multiple occasions for their respective sides.
The defending across the league improved too, as a wide range of players in the back four earned a good amount of praise, including a young duo from the New York Red Bulls, one of which features in our MLS Team of the Week.
Joining one of those defenders is the captain of the Red Bulls, as well as duos from Columbus, Vancouver and Sporting Kansas City. Our team is set up in a 4-4-2 formation with the selection of the attacking midfielders not limited to specific positions.
Continue reading to see who earned a spot in our latest MLS Team of the Week.
GK: Bill Hamid, D.C. United
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Bill Hamid held strong between the pipes for D.C. United on Saturday as the Black and Red somehow got out of Stade Saputo with a 1-0 victory.
United, who attempted a single shot in the match, saw their opponent take 25 shots, eight of which were stopped by Hamid.
The top stops by the United States international came in the 34th minute in a one-on-one situation against Andres Romero, the 72nd minute on Dominic Oduro and the 78th minute on a long-range blast from Ignacio Piatti.
The win kept Ben Olsen's side two points ahead of Vancouver in the Supporters' Shield race and eight in front of the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference.
RB: Connor Lade, New York Red Bulls
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The New York Red Bulls received a few standout performances from their back line on Sunday night in their Hudson River Derby victory over New York City FC.
Connor Lade, who was thrust into a starting role as a result of Chris Duvall's injury in July, was everywhere in the 2-0 victory. The right-back helped silence Mix Diskerud and Thomas McNamara, both of whom spent significant time on the left wing.
Lade totaled eight interceptions and limited the NYCFC wing duo to two shots on target.
CB: Michael Parkhurst, Columbus Crew
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In recent weeks, the Columbus Crew back four have come under pressure for their inability to close out games.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, Michael Parkhurst and his defensive teammates started a trend that will hopefully shed that image for good, helping the team pull out a 2-1 win over the Rapids.
Although Colorado was active in front of net, Parkhurst and the Columbus back line only allowed four of the hosts' 20 shots to go on target. The 31-year-old personally made 17 clearances, three interceptions and blocked a trio of attempts.
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CB: Kevin Ellis, Sporting Kansas City
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An argument can be made for quite a few center-backs to be in this position following Week 23, but we opted to go with Sporting Kansas City's Kevin Ellis, who had a stellar day at the back against Toronto FC on Saturday.
In the 3-1 road victory, Ellis contained the threat of Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, with neither Toronto forward challenging goalkeeper Tim Melia with a shot.
The 24-year-old ended the match with an impressive stat line, featuring seven interceptions, six tackles and three clearances.
LB: Jordan Harvey, Vancouver Whitecaps
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Jordan Harvey enjoyed one of his most successful nights in a Whitecaps shirt on Saturday, as he provided two assists in the 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
With his side already ahead by two goals, Harvey curled in a nice pass from the left wing in the 50th minute that found Cristian Techera at the far post. The pair connected again in the 68th minute, as the left-back deflected an Octavio Rivero free-kick back to Techera outside of the box.
Harvey also turned in a strong shift on the defensive end of the field, shutting down the duo of Olmes Garcia and John Stertzer on his flank.
AM: Cristian Techera, Vancouver Whitecaps
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Cristian Techera was one of the few players to strike the back of the net on two occasions in Week 23.
In his ninth start of the season, the attacking midfielder connected with a Jordan Harvey cross for a tap-in in the 50th minute before he unleashed a nice left-footed effort from distance 18 minutes later.
Saturday marked the first time the Uruguayan beat an opposing goalkeeper since June 27 against New England. Techera's four shots and three on target were the most recorded by any player at BC Place on Saturday.
CM: Dax McCarty, New York Red Bulls
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The main reason why the big names in the NYCFC attack couldn't find a rhythm on Sunday night was the high pressure led by Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty.
McCarty showed no fear when going in for challenges against Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, and plenty of those tackles were successful, as he easily dispossessed both stars on numerous occasions.
The 28-year-old was the most active player on the pitch at Red Bull Arena with 82 touches, and he completed 83.3 percent of his 66 passes.
CM: Benny Feilhaber, Sporting Kansas City
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Benny Feilhaber picked up another goal and assist in Sporting KC's win over Toronto at BMO Field.
The midfielder opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, as he put his eighth strike of the season into the back of the net from the spot. After the Reds equalized seconds later, Feilhaber delivered a free-kick to the head of Krisztian Nemeth in the 29th minute to put his side back into the lead for good.
Thanks to the performance by the league's co-leader in assists with 12, Sporting KC kept pace with the top three sides in the Western Conference. The fourth-placed team sits five points behind Vancouver after Week 23.
AM: Gyasi Zardes, LA Galaxy
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One of the three scorers for the LA Galaxy on Sunday was Gyasi Zardes, who was forced out wide by the addition of Giovani Dos Santos to the starting lineup.
In the 13th minute of the 3-1 win over Seattle, Zardes got behind Zach Scott and connected with a cross from Juninho to net an early equalizer for the hosts at StubHub Center.
While Dos Santos and Robbie Keane will get most of the attention for the attacking display in the win, Zardes was the player who put the most shots on goal.
If he can adapt to his role on the wing with Dos Santos in the fold, the Galaxy will boast a deadlier attack than they already had.
FW: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
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While some may be confused to see Giovinco here because of his lackluster display against Sporting KC on Saturday, you have to remember he struck for a hat-trick to open Week 23 on Wednesday versus Orlando City.
The Italian started his night off against the Lions with a goal from the spot in the 12th minute. In the 56th minute, the former Juventus man delivered the crown jewel of the three goals on a free-kick that was beautifully hit into the top-left corner of the net. Giovinco finished off his three-goal display in the 88th minute after he was allowed plenty of space by the Orlando back four.
Despite not firing a single shot on target in Saturday's defeat to Sporting KC, Giovinco did record four key passes and earned his 11th assist of the season Michael Bradley's 22nd-minute goal.
FW: Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew
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Three days after he lost his lead in the Golden Boot race to Giovinco, Kei Kamara responded with his fifth brace of the season in the Crew's win over Colorado.
Kamara leveled the contest at one goal apiece in the 52nd minute on a perfectly measured left-footed shot that rolled into the right side of the net. In the 64th minute, Kamara cut in front of the Rapids defense to slot in a pass from Hector Jimenez to put Gregg Berhalter's side in the lead.
The Sierra Leone international, who now leads Giovinco by one in the race to be the league's top scorer, attempted seven shots and won four aerial duels in Columbus' ninth win of 2015.
Bench
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GK: Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City)
LB: DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
CB: Shay Facey (New York City FC)
CB: Pa Modou Kah (Vancouver Whitecaps)
CM: Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew)
FW: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)
FW: Giovani Dos Santos (LA Galaxy)
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
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